Novel Reaction Could Spark Alternate Approach to Ammonia Production

The search for a more energy efficient and environmentally friendly method of ammonia production for fertilizer has led to the discovery of a new type of catalytic reaction.

Researchers at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory used nanoscale spikes of carbon to catalyze a reaction that generates ammonia from nitrogen and water, aided by lithium salt and the application of an electric field. The study, published in Science Advances, reveals a type of catalyst that has been theoretically suggested but never demonstrated.

“It’s a catalyst that operates completely based on the electric field; this has never been observed for nitrogen,” said ORNL’s Adam Rondinone, the study’s lead author. “We call it a physical catalyst – normally a catalyst is chemical.”

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